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Big Ideas
more involved in the paper
For years, the Ottawa Daily Times has been a leader in developing reader-involvement projects. Managing editor Lonny Cain offers five ideas other papers might consider using or modifying:
- For six years we have been doing a Fright Write contest for Halloween. We give cash prizes of $75, $50 and $25 for stories that represent real, scary moments in readers' lives. We've had some good ones. There are no age categories and it is not unusual for students to win. Next year we are thinking about giving grade-schoolers a separate category. Members from the community do the judging (English teachers, local librarians, previous winners).
- For eons we have printed a Christmas Kids countdown that starts the day after Thanksgiving and continues until Christmas. The prize is having your child selected. We get more than 600 entries of kids 9 years or younger using an entry form we print in the paper. The kids come in for their portrait and they run on Page 1 counting down the days to Christmas.
- Advertising has a weekly football picks contest in coordination with advertisers. It's a service purchased called Power Points. Each week readers fill out a form in the paper making their team picks. Forms are dropped at local, sponsoring advertisers. They compete on local level for $50 and can win $1,000 on a regional level. We have had about three regional winners in our area. About 250 entries a week come in for 17 weeks.
- We used to pick an annual Grill Master at the start of summer. Entrants need only send in their nominees, explaining why they deserve recognition for their abilities at the outdoor grill. Prizes include a new grill and various food items. We do a feature story on the winner selected by our ad department.
- Advertising also does a business promotion giving away $500 the Friday before Christmas. Entries are dropped into boxes at local advertiser sponsors who promote the giveaway in ads in the paper. The paper pops for the $500.